Lionel Messi caught Algerian defender Aissa Mandi on the calf with a studs-up tackle from behind in the 30th minute of Tuesday’s encounter, but the Argentina forward was not shown a card at the time.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner—an annual award presented by French publication France Football—had already put the reigning world champions ahead, before adding a hat-trick to extend the impact of his night.
Federation reaction
- A federation source said Messi’s challenge on Aissa Mandi should have resulted in a red card.
- The same source also cited two separate elbow incidents as challenges they believed warranted dismissals.
“The main issue is Messi’s tackle, which in everyone’s view merited a sending off,” the federation source said. “There were also two incidents involving elbows… Both of which warranted dismissals.”
Algeria will play Jordan in their next game on Monday, then close their Group J campaign against Austria on Saturday, June 27.
